Drapery hook and clip



July 19, 1966 R. ROMANO 3,261,065

DRAPERY HOOK AND CLIP Filed Feb. 13, 1964 INVENTOR. RALPH ROMA N0 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,261,065 DRAPERY HOOK AND CLIP Ralph Romano, Levittowu, Pa., assignor of ten percent to Samuel Saewitz, Levittown, NJ. Filed Feb. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 344,627 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-81) This invention relates to the combination of a drapery hook and clip which can be used to hang drapes or other like fabrics while insuring that the pleats in the drape or fabric will remain straight.

In copending application Serial No. 327,180, filed December 2, 1963 for Method and Means For Pleating Drapes or the Like and application Serial No. 344,708, filed February 13, 1964 for Means For Merchandising, Heating and Hanging Drapes or the Like, both in the names of Ralph Romano and Samuel Saewitz, a novel method and means for forming pleats in fabrics such as drapes was disclosed. In brief, these inventions comprise securing a piece of an elongated fabric to the back of a drape or the like to be pleated. Spaced loops were formed at predetermined points along the elongated fabric. A flexible tape was then secured to the fabric and drape and threaded through the loops formed on the fabric. The tape, once threaded through the loops and secured to the fabric and drape, could then be pulled to bunch the material of the fabric and drape about the loops, thus forming a series of pleats.

In using this procedure to form pleats in fabrics, the tape must be pulled taut in order that the formed pleats assume a rigid vertical orientation. If the tape is not pulled taut, the-re is a tendency for the formed pleats to be spaced at an angle with respect to each other. This will result in an unsatisfactory and sloppy appearance of the hung fabric.

Therefore, the present invention contemplates the use of a resilient clip for bunching the pleats after they have been formed to insure that they assume a true back-toback vertical orientation.

The clip described above may also have permanently connected thereto a drapery hook for hanging the drape or fabric. This will provide an efliciently designed unit enabling a consumer tohang drapery or other fabrics in a minimum of time and with a minimum of effort. At the same time, the pleats formed in the drape or fabric will be maintained straight.

It has also been found that when resilient clips are placed in engaging relation about a bunched fabric, there is a tendency for the clip to work loose and eventually drop from the fabric. Hence, the clip to be disclosed in this invention is provided with means for locking the clip to the fabric and insuring its engagement therewith. In this respect, the hook member of the unit has also been specifically designed to aid the locking action of the clip as will be made clear hereinafter.

While the drapery hook and clip unit is specifically disclosed hereinafter for use with pleats in drapery formed as per the above referred to applications, it should be understood that the unit can be used in conjunction with pleats formed in any conventional manner.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to disclose a drapery hook and clip unit for performing the dual function of hanging drapery or like fabrics and maintaining the pleats formed in such fabrics straight so that they present an attractive appearance.

Another object of this invention is to disclose a drapery hook and clip unit of the above-mentioned character which can be effectively locked to the drapery or fabric whereby accidental removal of the unit from the drapery or fabric is precluded.

Other objects will appear from the disclosure which follows hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the drapery hook and clip unit comprising the subject matter of the instant invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the back of a drape in which pleats have been formed by the use of a pleater tape and further illustrating the application of the drapery hook and clip unit on the drape.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the plane indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the plane indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the subject matter of the present invention will be disclosed as applied to a plurality of pleats 12 formed upon a drape 14.

The basic method and means used for pleating the drapery fabric has been disclosed in the applications referred to above. Briefly, those inventions contemplate that a pleater tape 24 will be fastened to the drape material 14 at one of its ends. The tape 24 is then threaded through a plurality of narrow loops 20 formed in an elongated piece of fabric 212 stitched or otherwise fastened by any suitable means to the drape 14 at the top thereof. When the tape 24 is pulled, the drapery material 14 between the narrow loops 20 and the fabric material 2.2 will bunch adjacent the loops 20 to form a plurality of pleats 12.

A pair of spaced holes 36 and 38 are formed in the fabric 22 on each side of the formed pleats 12. A substantially U-shaped, resilient clip gene-rally designated by the numeral 40 is adapted to be inserted through the openings 36 and 38 into encompassing relation with the series of pleats 12. The clip 40 comprises a pair of parallel legs 42 and 44 connected by a bight portion 46. When the clip 40 is placed through the openings 36, 38, the resiliency of the legs 42 and 44 will maintain the bunching of the pleats as well as keep the pleats straight.

Leg extensions 46 and 4 8 are integrally connected to the legs 42 and 44 of the clip 40 respectively. These leg extensions extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the legs. Therefore, when the clip is placed through the opening 36, 38, the extensions 46 and 48 will act as a lock to prevent ready removal of the clip from the openings. That is, in order to remove the clip, the clip must be pulled straight out first, and then pivoted so that the extensions can clear the sides of the fabric abutting the holes 36 and 38. Accidental removal of the clip is precluded. If for some reason the clip should become loose, it would not readily drop from the drape. This will previent loss of the clip and needless repositioning of the 0 1p.

It should be understood that the clip 40 may be used alone. However, the clip 40 may also be used as a support for a conventional drapery hook such as 50. A portion of the bight material 52 may be struck from the bight 46 of the clip 40 to form a loop. The hook 50 may be threaded through this loop and crimped as shown at 5-3 to prevent the hook from falling through the loop 52. This Will permanently connect the hook 50 with the clip 40.

The shank portion 55 of the drapery hook 50 is readily slidable within the loop 52 on the bight 46 of the slip 40. The loop 52 acts as a bearing for the shank portion 55. Hence, when the clip 40 has been positioned within the openings 36 and 38, the hook 50 may be slid in a downward direction until the crimped portion 58 abuts the loop 52. The crimped portion 53, being bent at an angle, will readily position and guide the shank portion 55 of the hook 50 behind the tape 24 upon upward movement of the crimped portion 5-3 away from the loop 52 and the clip 40.

The tape 24 will seat between the shank portion 55 and the main body portion 57 of the hook 50. The tape will aid in preventing any pivotable movement of the hook within the loop 52. Also, the frictional engagement between the hook portion 57 and the shank portion 55 with the tape 24 will tend to maintain the hook in a true vertical orientation. Once the shank portion 55 is behind the tape 24, the clip 40 cannot be removed without first sliding the shank portion 55 until the crimped end abuts the loop 52 once again. Hence, the hook will also aid the effective locking action of the clip.

The drapery hook and clip unit may also be applied to conventional type pleats formed in drapery or other fabrics. All that is necessary is to form the openings 36 and 38 in the back of the drape in such a position so that when the legs of the clip 40 are inserted into the pleat folds, they will be completely concealed by the outermost folds. That is, the legs of the clip should be inserted into the openings 36 and 38, which will be so spaced that the clip legs will encompass the centralmost pleat and half the folds of each end pleat, if three pleats are formed, which is the normal amount of pleats usually found on drapery mate-rial. The holes 36 and 38 shown in FIGURE 2 of the present invention are also positioned so that when the resilient clip 40 is inserted through the openings, the legs of the clip will encompass the central pleat of the series of pleats 12 in the drape 14 and portions of the outermost pleats.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A substantially U-shaped resilient clip for hanging drapery, said clip comprising a bight portion and a pair of generally parallel horizontally extending legs for insertion into openings in a drape, a portion of said bight forming a loop for engagement witha portion of a drapery hook, said loop extending in a vertical direction for holding said portion of said drapery hook in generally vertical orientation, and extensions integrally connected to the outer ends of said legs and extending substantially perpendicular thereto in a vertical direction to retain said legs in said openings.

2. A substantially U-shaped resilient clip for hanging drapery, said clip comprising a bight portion and a pair of generally parallel horizontally extending legs for insertion into openings in a drape, a portion of said bight being struck out to form a loop for engagement with a drapery hook, and extensions integrally connected to the outer ends of said legs and extending substantially perpendicular thereto in a vertical direction to retain said legs in said openings.

3. A clip in accordance with claim 2, and a drapery hook including an elongated shank portion generally perpendicular to said legs, said shank portion being in slidable engagement with said loop, and means at one end of said shank portion for retaining said shank portion in said loop.

4. A device for hanging drapery comprising a substantially U-shaped resilient clip having a bight portion, a portion of said bight forming a loop, said clip having a pair of generally parallel legs for insertion into openings in a drape, extensions integrally connected adjacent the outer ends of said legs and extending in a directiongenera-11y perpendicular to said legs for engagement with the edges of said openings to retain said legs in said openings, and a drapery hook including an elongated shank portion generally perpendicular to said legs and connected to said loop.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 386,382 7/1888 Cline.

878,497 2/1908 Bleakney. 1,236,654 8/1917 Baltzley 24 259 1,868,944 7/1932 Jones 348 2,552,922 5/1951 A-ndreou 160-348 2,602,205 7/1952 Davis 24-85 2,623,582 12/1952 Handley 160-348 2,623,583 12/1952 Handley 160 -348 2,822,869 2/1958 Shayman 160--348 3,122,604 2/1964 Cook 24-81X FOREIGN PATENTS",- 2,941 12/1900 Austria.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Examiner. 

1. A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED RESILIENT CLIP FOR HANGING DRAPERY, SAID CLIP COMPRISING A BIGHT PORTION AND A PAIR OF GENERALLY PARALLEL HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING LEGS FOR INSERTION INTO OPENINGS IN A DRAPE, A PORTION OF SAID BIGHT FORMING A LOOP FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A PORTION OF A DRAPERY HOOK, SAID LOOP EXTENDING IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION FOR HOLDING SAID PORTION OF SAID DRAPERY HOOK IN GENERALLY VERTICALS ORIENTATION, AND EXTENSIONS INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID LEGS AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR THERETO IN A VERTICAL DIRECTION TO RETAIN SAID LEGS IN SAID OPENINGS. 